Of Course He Remembered
by lost-in-pemberley
Summary: Forgetting. It's not that easy. But of course he remembered. Of course. Winner of Star's Alternative Yule Ball Challenge.


_Hello! Well here is my entrance into Star's Alternative Yule Ball Challenge._

_Hope you all like it! And the next update for Denial will be up...soon. (If you read into that, it means a very very long time. I feel bad-sorry guys)_

_Have a good one ;)_

_Love Starky._

_Disclaimer: Every-ruddy-thing is Rowling's. I don't own anything. Aside from this sparkly pen I just found next to the laptop. Hi5's all around._

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* * *

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A boy who had disappeared and a handful of Post-It notes. That's all that she was left with. She was still waiting. Waiting for that moment where she knew everything would be alright again, where her tilted world would just upright itself magically and she'd be able to fall asleep again, without seeing his smile imprinted to the back of her eyelids. Where her heart would thump loudly and he'd just come home.

* * *

There was no denying it.

Yule Ball fever had slowly and finally encompassed the whole of Hogwarts. Everywhere, students were asking their fellow students to the dance, dresses were being made, bought or flown in from home and the topic on everyone's lips were who the four finalists would be asking to be their partners.

It was common to hear gasps from girls if Cedric Diggory were walking past and then giggles erupt as he turned the corner. The most frequently used descriptions of him included 'handsome', 'dashing', 'charming' and 'perfect gentleman'. The topic of his partner and her identity was almost as recurrent as whom the world famous Seeker, Viktor Krum, would be inviting to be his partner. At first, the rumour floating around was that Krum had asked a beautiful Beauxbaton's Academy girl. But this was later deemed false as that same girl was caught in an old, empty classroom by McGonagall with no other than Hogwarts resident girl magnet extraordinaire, Draco Malfoy.

That was the hot gossip for exactly a week until it became the talk of the castle that Ronald Weasley had asked the striking Fleur Delacour to accompany him. His pale and ghostly face was led away from the giggling crowd by his sister, who was then later asked to be Neville Longbottom's partner. Fleur had tried to be gentle with her decline after he had shouted his proposal to her from across the hallway but the giggling crowd had sent a terrible blush up his neck and he fled the scene. It was later revealed that Fleur Delacour had been asked by the Captain of the Ravenclaw Quidditch Team, Roger Davies. He was smitten with the half-veela and had been telling everyone of his good fortune to have been accepted by the beautiful girl.

As for Harry Potter, it seemed that he hadn't managed to secure a date yet and it seemed that the rumour doing its rounds at the mill was stating that Harry's preferred date had already been nabbed but her name was a mystery.

So much was a mystery around the castle during the confusing time and Yule Ball mania was slowly but surely driving everyone insane.

* * *

Two weeks before the Yule Ball, Hermione was, as usual, in the library, frantically trying to finish her essay for Arithmancy. The fact that it was still at least two weeks until that particular essay was due didn't deter her, after all, she didn't want to do everything last minute like _Ronald_, did she?

As she reached the two and a half feet mark, her eyes started to strain and she marvelled at the fact that she did not yet need glasses to help her see. By definition, she should be just as, if not more, sight challenged than Harry. Pushing the essay away, she decided that it was enough for the afternoon and she started to place everything neatly into her bag. Loud giggled erupted from behind her and she rolled her eyes. She knew who it was; he'd been in the library, spying on her, for the past four days. She looked towards the closest shelf, straining with tomes, and beyond it, saw the Bulgarian Seeker, Viktor Krum, retreating behind it, trying to disguise himself by pretending to read a book.

Hermione smiled to herself and pushed the last book into her bag. It was straining but she dismissed the thought, compromising by promising to look up a strengthening spell later that night. As she hurried out of the library, she forcefully knocked into another person entering the library, sending the heavy bag onto the floor and all her books scattered in all direction.

"Watch it, Mudbood," Draco Malfoy sneered as he was sent trying to regain his balance.

She sent him a dirty look and dropped to her knees, huffing and shoving all her books into the bag again.

"Viktor!" She heard Malfoy joyously announce. "I was just coming to look for you-"

"Is she alright?"

His caring shocked her for a moment and she pushed another heavy book into her bag to avoid his eyes. Another book was added and a few quills stuffed into one of the many side pockets. A pair of feet appeared near her Potions textbook and the body attached to it dropped down to retrieve it for her.

Viktor handed her the book and she looked up to meet his eyes. "Thanks," she mumbled breathlessly and he nodded in reply. Sharply, he turned to Malfoy who was tapping his foot impatiently.

"Perhaps you should help, Draco?" he suggested and Malfoy turned a bright shade of pink. But he wasn't about to argue and instead picked up her Ancient Runes textbook reluctantly, passing it gingerly to Viktor who placed it in Hermione's shocked hands.

She felt a surge of gratefulness for the Bulgarian Seeker and looked down, blushing. "Thank you."

"It's no problem. It was only the polite thing to do." Malfoy shifted uncomfortably at that and Viktor stood, having handed her the last of her books.

Hermione stood too, next to Viktor and glared at Malfoy who was glowering at her back. "Well, thank you once again for helping me. It's nice to see that there are at least some decent people out there."

Viktor Krum opened his mouth, perhaps to ask her something but Draco Malfoy cleared his throat and intercepted. "Viktor, I'd like to ask you something about the way that you execute your world famous move."

Viktor nodded and with a small look in Hermione's direction, allowed himself to be directed towards the other end of the library by Malfoy.

Hermione scowled at Malfoy's back and slung her heavy laden bag over her shoulder, returning to the Gryffindor common room. As she found a seat near the fireplace, Harry and Ron both emerged from the boy's dormitory's, their faces glum.

"Is everything alright?"

Ron nodded glumly and Harry pushed his glasses further up his nose.

Hermione caught on immediately. "You haven't found anyone to ask to the ball yet, have you?"

Ron shook his head and they all started towards the Great Hall for dinner.

"Well, what about Eloise Midgen? I hear she hasn't found a partner yet."

Ron groaned. "I'd rather go alone than with Eloise Midgen."

Harry smiled slightly and immediately, saw Cho Chang with a group of her girlfriends. He stared at her until they rounded a corner and she disappeared from his sight.

"Well, her acne's loads better lately –and she's really nice!"

Ron gave her a queer look. "Her nose is off centre."

Hermione pursed her lips. "You can't expect to go with a supermodel, Ron."

At his funny look, she shook her head slightly. "Never mind. You might want to hurry though. If you leave it to the last minute, there'll be no-one left."

She was dropping hints to him yet he didn't pick them up, instead he started to descend the first flight of stairs.

Then she noticed that Harry had been unusually quiet. "Harry? Are you alright?"

Ron chuckled. "He's just a little put out that he can't get a spare moment with Cho."

"Cho Chang?" Hermione's face lit up. "Are you going to ask her, Harry?"

"Doubt it," Ron laughed again.

Hermione looked to Harry for the answer and he looked puzzled for a moment. "If only they'd stop moving together and I can get her alone for a few moments."

Hermione furrowed her brows. "I suppose you could just ask her for a word."

"Ask her for a word?" Ron started laughing as they entered the Great Hall. "It's not that easy. You're a girl, you probably wouldn't understand."

Hermione frowned and seated herself down next to Ginny. "Have you been asked yet?"

Ginny had been thoroughly put out when Dumbledore had announced that Third Years and below were not allowed unless an older student asked them and Ginny had been hoping that someone would ask her, just so she could go.

She shook her head glumly. "Not yet."

Ron turned a bright shade of red as his little sisters dating was mentioned and began to pile food onto his plate at an alarming rate. Harry began to do the same next to him, though not stuffing as much as Ron was.

"Don't worry, Ginny," Hermione soothed the younger girl and took a sip of her pumpkin juice. "I'm sure someone will ask you soon."

As dinner progressed, Hermione could feel the tell tale prickly feeling on the back of her neck, showcasing that someone was staring at her; someone from the Slytherin table. Turning around, she located the starer as Viktor Krum who wasn't at all ashamed that she'd caught him staring. He continued to look and Hermione allowed herself a small smile. Next to him, Draco Malfoy, who'd permanently attached himself to Viktor's side, was sipping from his goblet and smirking at something. He was always smirking; didn't he know how to smile once in a while?

She turned back to the table, still feeling Viktor's gaze on her back and her appetite disappeared, replaced by bouncing nerves. He was going to ask her to the ball, she was almost certain of it yet she just didn't know what to think about that just yet.

* * *

After dinner, Hermione was studying in front of the fire in the Gryffindor common room. It was almost empty and she moved onto revising some notes for Arithmancy. Harry and Ron had retired to their dormitory early, citing Quidditch practice and overload of schoolwork as an excuse for fatigue. Slowly, people began to leave the common room until she was the last, sitting beside the dimming fire. She had reached Page 173 already and felt her eyes drooping. Surely one more page wouldn't hurt?

She turned the page and a small square of yellow paper was slipped in between page 174 and 175.

Someone had placed a Post-It note in her textbook?

She looked at the scrawly and clearly male writing on it and wondered if it was her mind playing tricks on her at night.

**I like it when you're trying to study so hard that you don't notice me trying to study you.**

Underneath, a moving picture drawn with a practiced hand, was a golden snitch, flying through the clouds.

Someone was trying to 'study' her?

Her mind immediately flew to Viktor. Of course that made sense! He had been in the library an awful lot recently, peeking at her when he thought she couldn't see. That was the 'studying' part. Plus, the fact that Viktor was the best Seeker in their generation was a dead clue derived from the snitch.

She felt positively giddy with delight as she read and re-read the note until they were imprinted in her mind.

I like it when...he liked her! But she had certainly noticed it when he was trying to 'study' her!

The last of the embers died in the grate and Hermione scooped up her things to retire for the night. She meandered slowly up the stone steps, still thinking about the note and felt positively lightheaded. Someone had sent her a secret note! Granted she knew who it was but that didn't matter – she'd finally found a date to the ball. And one who was one of the most sought after at that!

With that, Hermione Granger entered her dormitory, dropped her belonging near her bed, changed into her pyjamas and fell into bed, all the while thinking about golden snitch's and yellow Post-It notes.

* * *

Potions class was always a chore for Hermione. On one hand, there'd be Neville, blowing up something or creating something that wasn't asked and then there'd be the part that Hermione had to play where she made sure Harry and Ron didn't slaughter Malfoy for his immature and downright stupid taunts.

Today was no exception. "Hey, Weasel," he smirked from his Slytherin side. "Found a partner yet? I hear there's a few trolls in the Forbidden Forest who are available!"

Ron made to lunge at Malfoy, who jumped back, but Harry pulled at his jumper.

"Ron!" Hermione warned. "He's not worth it."

Malfoy's sidekick, Goyle, crossed his arms and leered as Malfoy made a mockingly frightened squeak.

When class ended, Malfoy swoop past her table, knocking most of her textbooks to the ground.

Ron was about to say something when Harry sent him a warning shake of the head.

Malfoy just smirked, no words needing to be spoken.

She sent a dirty glare his way and he raised his eyebrows, daring her to say something. When no words issued forth, she let out a small groan and proceeded to pick up her fallen textbooks. Malfoy breezed out of the classroom and Ron exploded. "What a right bloody git, he was!"

"Yeah, but if you'd done something in front of Snape, it'd have be worse."

Ron pulled out his wand and made to rush after the blonde but Hermione stopped him. "Ron, don't worry about him. Can you pass me my Potions textbook?"

The Potions text had been knocked underneath their table and Ron stooped down to reach it.

"Thanks," Hermione mumbled as he handed it to her and she crammed it into her splitting satchel.

They exited the classroom together, relishing in the fresh air that seemed to be everywhere but the dungeons where Potions was taught.

Harry and Ron made for the Great Hall and Hermione bade them farewell, amidst calls of being crazy for studying during lunch, and separated for the library.

Quickly, she made her way to the library and made a beeline for her favourite table, towards one of the larger windows overlooking the lake. Today, the giant squid was lazily waving its tentacles, breaking the surface every so often.

Pulling out her Potions textbook, she flipped to next week's potion. The potion looked simple enough and Hermione was glad she didn't have to do any extra research for her to brew the potion perfectly. Sighing, she starting looking through the rest of the book and landed on the page for brewing Veritaserum.

Shocked, she almost jumped out of her chair at the yellow, sticky Post-It note, stuck just under the heading.

**I like it when you're trying to figure something out that you don't notice me trying to figure you out.**

This time, the drawing was of a potion, bubbling away happily in a cauldron.

Who was sending her these small little letters? She had a feeling it was building up to something and she was hoping that it included the words "ball" and "partner".

Feeling happier, she fished out another book and began an essay that wasn't due for a good three weeks.

* * *

After transfiguration in the afternoon, Hermione was walking with Ron and Harry when Hermione was called by Parvati and Lavender into a conversation. Ron and Harry balked at the prospect of having to talk to the two giggliest girls in Hogwarts and left for their separate excuses (Ron had to talk to Neville and Harry had Quidditch practice).

"Hermione, who are you taking to the ball?"

Hermione looked uncomfortable and Lavender picked up on this. "What's the matter?" she asked. "Haven't you found one yet?"

Hermione frowned, not at all impressed by her tone. "Actually, I do." She was about to add more when a shove from the back pushed her into the arms of Parvati.

Her bag dropped to the ground but this time, at least, the books didn't spill. Turning around, she noticed it was none other than Draco Malfoy, scowling at her. Viktor was behind him, his eyes dark and slightly brooding.

"Watch where you're going, Malfoy." Lavender spoke up and Hermione was actually in awe of the girl for a moment.

"Maybe you should learn to step out of the way of your superiors." His gloating face was proud and a small smirk was playing on the side of his thin lips.

"Draco, that is no way to be talking to these women." Viktor finally spoke up and Malfoy glowered under the slight reprimand.

The Bulgarian stepped forward and retrieved Hermione's satchel for her and she blushed deeply, to the amusement of Parvati and Lavender.

"Thank you, "Hermione stuttered and took the bag from Viktor's hands, their fingers brushing just for a slight moment which caused Hermione's blush to deepen.

Malfoy rolled his eyes and looked absolutely disgusted for a moment. "So Viktor, I was thinking about asking you more questions about the-" he directed Viktor away and his fan club swarmed behind them.

Hermione's cheeks were still hot and she slung her bag over her shoulder slowly and walked away from Parvati and Lavender in a daze, ignoring their calls.

She reached the library and slid her heavy bag slowly onto the floor near her favourite table. Her dazed expression still didn't leave her face for a good half hour and try as she might, the Ancient Runes danced around in her head without any sign of making any sense. She read a sentence seven times before giving up and slamming the book shut. Sighing loudly, she heard the unmistakable chatter of a fan club rushing into the library.

Before too long, the sound of ten pairs of feet rushing towards her made her frown. And then there was Viktor, leaning against a bookshelf, trying to pretend to be looking for a book.

She smiled to herself and pulled another book out of her bag. A small ball of scrunched paper caught on the edge of the thick tome and flew out onto the floor, near the leg of her chair.

Grinning to herself, she picked it up and unfolded it, subconsciously already knowing what it was going to be. Smoothing out the scrap of paper, she realised that it was a note that had been tacked to many announcement boards detailing the Yule Ball. The details were printed out carefully and underneath a sentence about partnering was a yellow Post-It note.

**I like it when you're trying to think of someone to ask to the ball that you don't notice me trying to ask you to the ball.**

The pencilled in drawing was of a dancing couple, swirling around to music that only they could hear. The woman's dress was long and flowing, twirling around her legs elegantly as her partner led her around the bottom of the note gracefully.

Bubbles rose in her chest and the feeling of elation lifted her annoyance and replaced it with sheer joy. She was fairly certain that someone was about to ask her to the ball. And that someone was probably the Seeker who was leaning against a bookshelf, looking up books about Herbology.

She pretends to ignore him and chooses to make covert glances out the corner of her eye instead. When she was finally engrossed in her Ancient Runes, the sound of a thousand pairs of fan-club girl's feet leaving the library alerted her to two things.

One; Viktor had left the library.

And two; he had not asked her to the Ball.

Packing up for the night, she sighed and left for her own dormitory, looking forward to a night of sleep.

Trudging the hallways dejectedly, she stopped at a small window to gaze, for the thousandth time that afternoon, at the lake. The moon was diving in and out of the clouds, both vying for attention as the lake rippled slowly and calmly at them both.

Hermione leaned her forehead against the glass and let her mind wander. She thought of Harry's task, she thought of Ron's slight envy and she thought of the trials that Harry would be facing soon. It wouldn't be easy being the youngest member of the Triwizard Tournament and the tasks that they'd be challenged certainly wouldn't be easy.

She noticed a small speck in the distance, flying towards her. Before she had time to frown, it drew in and stopped in front of the window, balancing itself on the sill just outside.

The eagle owl held a flapping piece of yellow paper in its mouth and Hermione felt her heart leap into her throat. Taking the Post-It note from the vicious looking bird carefully, she slowly eased the note open, keeping an eye on the bird. It gave a small ruffle of its feathers and without a backwards glance, took off for the night.

Blinking a few times like one of the girl's from Viktor's fan club, she looked down at the note.

**I like it when you're staring at the lake that you don't notice me waiting by the lake for you.**

Simply, this time, the lake was drawn beneath it, the moon and the clouds dancing around each other.

Excitement filled her body and she dropped her bag softly, rushing back down the hallway that she'd just walked down.

Three flights of stairs later, she was in the courtyard, slipping down the stone steps to the lake. The night was cold, December showing its face cheekily and her jumper felt thin and worn through.

The last few steps loomed into view and she could feel the bounce in her step, though she told herself to watch out, before she did something really stupid. Like falling and breaking her leg.

She crept slowly towards the lake, the moon hiding behind a thick cloud. She was unsure where to look, the black lake dark and eerie. Moving towards an opening between two massive trees, she stopped and gazed out onto the lapping water.

The sound of leaves shuffling beneath a moving figure alerted her to just how dangerous the situation she'd put herself in. Her hand flew to her back pocket where her wand was situated.

"Who's there?"

The crackling of feet moved closer and she felt fear grip her suddenly by the shoulder. There was no answer to her question, only further shuffling and Hermione mentally chastised herself for allowing her to be led astray by her romantic thoughts rather than her sensible ones.

The moon relented relief for a moment and a figure threw itself into view.

She whipped out her wand and pointed it at the figure quickly, only to find-

"Colin?"

Colin Creevey stood before her, trembling and shuffling slowly.

"What are you doing here?"

"Hermione!" he squeaked, eyes widening. "I'm waiting for someone who said they could magically charm my camera for me. The last one who said he could do it blew up my camera."

Frowning, she tucked her wand back into her back pocket. "Okay. So you're not the one sending me notes then?"

He shook his head. "Sorry." And he gave her another glance before wandering around the lake again.

She stood, staring out onto the calm lake again and thought of the possibility that it may just be a colossal joke played on her. There were people vile enough within the castle to pull a prank like this on her, _just for the fun of it._

Just as she was about to leave and forget about the stupid Post-It notes, there was a crunching of leaves behind her followed by a small chuckle. The moon was once again conspiring against her and she grasped her wand again.

"Colin?"

Another chuckle. "I can assure you that I am most definitely not Colin."

The voice sounded familiar yet she couldn't quite match a face to the voice. There was something sinister about it and yet, she didn't find herself scared.

"Who-who are you?"

Heart, welcome to throat.

"I'm-" he stopped talking just as the moon made a very brief appearance. The clouds uncovered it just for a moment and blonde hair and pointed nose and chin were thrown into sharp relief.

"Malfoy!" Hermione hissed, pulling out her wand. There was silence for a good four Hippogriff's as she pointed her wand at his calm and bemused face. "You." She accused. "You're the one who has been sending me the notes? How do you even know what a Post-It note is?"

Before he could answer, she stalked towards him quickly, intent on pushing past and slinking back to her dormitory, forgetting the whole incident.

She was one metre in front of him when he said, so quietly, that she wondered if she'd heard right.

"Just wait."

"Wait?" Hermione demanded. "Wait for what? Wait for you to take a photograph and show it to all your Slytherin friends?! I'm so glad I get to be the punch line of all your common room jokes."

She glared a bit more for emphasis and he glared back, their eyes meeting over the grass. She broke the connection and began to storm towards the steps again, cursing herself and Malfoy with every step.

He chuckled, quite loudly, and she was about to turn around and throw a hex at him when he yelled at her retreating back.

"Hey, Granger!" She hears him stride after her. "I like it when your Gryffindor Pride gets in the way of my Slytherin sincerity."

She gasped to herself and stops, hearing him halt behind her. His...his what? But what he'd just said sounded a lot like...a lot like the Post-It's. Why on earth was he..?

"Slytherin sincerity?" she rounded on him, he face contorted in anger. "Malfoy that is the single most stupid thing I've ever heard you say."

He rolled his eyes. "Can't you just look past everything for just a moment? And just focus on right now?"

His cryptic coded messages stunned her for a moment. It was as if he was talking in tongues and it was all a jumble.

"Malfoy, are you being nice to me?" She demanded, angry that he'd stooped that low to play this particularly horrible prank on her.

He was taken aback for a moment. "Am I not allowed?"

She didn't have an answer and he moved closer to her. She moved backwards, trying to think of something to say.

He moved further.

"Malfoy, what is your problem?!"

He moved forward so slowly and stopped right in front of her, making her breath stop short in her throat.

"My problem?" he repeated. "My problem is you."

"Me?" Hermione squeaked, not at all comfortable with his distance towards her. "I'm not the one pretending to ask girls to the ball for a laugh!"

Suddenly, it occurred to her that every time she'd received a note, he had been nearby with Viktor. Idiot, Hermione!

He gulped and she saw his Adam's apple bob nervously, his neck enveloped in goose bumps.

Draco shook his head, as if in disbelief that he was about to confess something. "It was never for a laugh. I want you to go with me."

And there it was. She heard it. It was so faint that if he hasn't been so close, she might have just missed his Slytherin sincerity.

"Everyone will-" she whispered, as if scared to yell all of a sudden.

"Everyone will think we're completely mental." His sneer was back but she could swear there was sheer enjoyment in it.

Well, she didn't find potential insanity all that amusing.

She took a step back and tried not to look at him. It was hard for her head to wrap around the fact that he, Malfoy, of all people was here, in front of her, asking her to the ball. Her feet were particularly interesting at that moment.

"So, what about it?"

He was still waiting for a response and she couldn't give him one. At least, not yet.

She stumbled backwards again. "I'm not-I'm not sure. Maybe if you gave me a few days?"

He nodded curtly, understanding her request. "Alright, this Friday night. Astronomy Tower at 12 o'clock."

She had no intention of going, of course not. She wasn't about to be played the fool.

"Twelve o'clock," she repeated, turned on her heels and fled.

* * *

For the rest of the week, she didn't see him. And yet, at the same time, he was everywhere.

She'd turn the corner, thinking that he'd be there, only to be greeted by a group of rowdy Slytherin's, bullying a member of any other house. She'd walk out of the library, sensing that he was lurking somewhere and there'd be a group of Ravenclaw's, shuffling out of the library.

It was on Friday, after lunch, when she was studying with Ron and Harry in the Gryffindor Common Room that she decided that under no circumstances, would she say yes to Draco Malfoy's preposterous offer of accompanying her to the Yule Ball.

"So who've you asked then?" Harry said to Fred, who's asked him who he was taking to the ball.

Hermione watched in mild amusement as Fred asked Angelina, quickly and swiftly.

Ron looked on, amazed. "Oi, Hermione, you're a girl."

She frowned, "Well spotted, Ron."

"Well, maybe we should go together."

She mentally imaged herself slapping Ron in the head. "What?"

"Well, for a guy to go alone, it's okay. But for a girl, it's just pathetic."

He certainly had a way with the ladies.

Hermione was furious, furious not only because Ron had more or less, considered her as a last resort, but because he found her not attractive enough to have warranted a request from another male.

"I won't be going alone, Ron!" she huffed, packing up her books, thinking of getting as far away from him at the moment as possible. "Because, believe it or not someone's already asked me." She stood, dragging her heavy bag from its resting spot and slung it over her shoulder. "And I said yes." She swept her books off the table and concentrated on storming out of the Common Room.

* * *

It was twelve when she made up her mind. She was going to say yes. She was going to say yes to the most arrogant and prejudiced male in Hogwarts in response to his request to take her to the ball.

She was about to say yes to someone, until last week at least, hated her sheer Muggle-ness. Someone who hated something about her that she had no control over yet had absolutely no intention of trying to change about herself.

It was as if she were a second rate citizen or lesser of a human than he was. And yet, she knew that she was ten times the person that he was, that his moral compass didn't even exist and that she'd thoroughly shame him in anything academic related.

And yet, she still found herself sneaking out into the corridor at night, slowly stumbling her way to the Astronomy Tower to possibly self inflict an embarrassing moment upon himself.

"So?" He was leaning against the edge of the tower and the question was thrown at her before she'd even seen him. He was a few bricks away from falling fifty metres to his death. She gulped, partly due to how close he was to the edge and partly due to those silly butterflies jumping around in her abdomen.

"Yes," she informed him with a lot more courage than she actually felt.

He almost fell off the wall and Hermione heart jumped for a moment, before he steadied himself with a hand.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I agreed, Draco." His name tasted foreign on her tongue and the name hung in the air for an extended amount of time. No matter what he said, she was still expecting it to be a monumental joke on her and any minute now, he might start laughing and revert back into the normal Malfoy, poking fun at her.

But he remained surprised and stoic.

A larger part of her reason to agreeing was to show Ron that she didn't need his pity invitation and that she was more attractive that what he gave her credit for.

"What will everyone say?"

He smirked crookedly. "Everyone will say I've got you under the Imperius. And that we're insane."

"What about your father? He likes me as much as a scuff on his shoes."

"There's really no need to worry about what he might think."

"But Lord Volde-"

"Don't." He sent a look her way, gray eyes meeting brown. "For once, I'd like to have a conversation where he is not mentioned."

She was tired of his cryptic messaging. "We're from opposite sides."

"Who said?"

If only she knew.

She found herself smiling at that. It was comforting, somehow in a very twisted way.

Malfoy shrugged and moved towards her. "Alright then, that's settled." He brushed past.

"Wait!" Hermione reacted and grabbed his arm. It felt so warm and so normal. After all, he was human and she was human and they were in a very human situation. This was simpler than Voldemort and his father and Harry.

"Why ask me?"

He smiled, not smirked, and leant in close to her ear. "Because you are so deliciously clueless." He breathed into her ear and she felt his warm breath on the shell of her ear. Closer until he pressed a small kiss on her cheek. "I'll see you next Friday."

On her cheek, tingles erupted as he disappeared.

* * *

A while after the Ron and Fleur incident, it emerged that both Harry and Ron had asked the Patil twins and Fred and George began to take bets on which twin would be the lucky one to accompany Harry and which one would be lumped with Ron. So far, a high number of the bets were on Parvati yet Padma looked to be fierce competition.

Hermione, after agreeing to something she never dreamt of happening, didn't see Draco for another week.

It could be a joke on her and the lack of activity from him was all just leading up to a large prank that would cost her the entirety of her dignity.

But she felt, however stupidly, that he wouldn't do anything to her anymore.

Hermione had heard enough gossip from Parvati and Lavender to know that girls were driven crazy by lust and the appearance of a male within a five kilometre radius to some females meant that their brains were subsequently left behind and neglected. Hermione never considered herself a girl who would be ruled by her hormone's rather than head and this was no exception. She tried reasoning to herself that he wasn't about to do something stupid to her because he knew that she'd hex him fifty feet into the air.

And that kiss. That innocent and utterly wonderful peck on her cheek.

She'd played that moment over and over again in her head, backwards and forwards and sideways and slowly and quickly. If only she could bottle that feeling, she'd keep it forever, knowing that for just one moment, one incredible moment, it almost seemed as if Draco Malfoy, prat and making-out-with-girls-in-cupboards extraordinaire actually possessed a heart.

* * *

She'd spent a total of three hours getting ready. Shrieks and yells were heard around the common room as girls ran around, half naked and panicking, trying to put make up on or sliding into the dresses, looking for their shoes.

Hermione calmly applied make up, with a little help from Lavender and Parvati, slid into her dress and heels and magically twisted her hair up.

The walk to the Great Hall was slow and torturous, no matter how much she tried to hurry it up in the heels that she was wearing. Nearing the staircase, she found herself short of breath and knew what she would find when she walked down it.

Harry gaped at her when she descended and Parvati's mouth fell open. She reached them and looked around for her own partner.

"Well then," Ron appeared, dragging Padma with him. "Who are you going with then?"

Hermione frowned, realising that he still didn't believe that she'd gotten a partner or been asked.

"He'll be here soon." She told herself more than she was telling them.

She glanced around at the corner where she was sure he'd be emerging from and Snape rounded the corner.

"Snape?!" Ron exploded. "Are you going with him?!"

Harry looked distraught and Parvati and Padma both exchanged glances of disgust.

"No!" Hermione shouted as Snape slinked into the hall. "Ron, that's preposterous!"

"Then who is it?"

She saw him. He was dressed immaculately in black dress robes and leaning against a pillar, just staring at her, not trying to cover up the fact.

"I'm going with-"

"MALFOY?!" Harry erupted, his eyes almost popping out of his sockets. "Hermione, tell us you're joking!"

Ron turned a lovely shade of red, the colour travelling from the edge of his hairline to cover his cheeks and then spread to his neck.

"Hermione, you can't be going to the ball with Malfoy!" Ron's eyes grew wider as Hermione frowned back at him.

"And what if I am."

Harry looked confusedly at her. "Hermione, are you serious about this?"

She nodded. "I believe that ever body deserves a chance to change."

"Change?" Ron howled. "People like that don't change."

Her was angry, she could tell, and confusions was etched carefully onto his face. She turned to Harry who was sporting the same expression.

She frowned. "Well, I'm going to the ball with Draco Malfoy whether you like it or not!" she turned on her heels and stormed off towards a smirking Malfoy.

His smirk annoyed her. It had always annoyed her and today was absolutely no exception.

"What?" she snapped at him.

He shrugged himself off the pillar. "Has the Golden Trio finally become the Dull Duo?"

She glared at him and for the first time, wished that she had simply said 'no' to him. "Nothing is stopping me from ceasing to be your partner."

He smirked wider. "Aside from the fact that you need a partner to enter."

Her eyes narrowed. "I never explicitly mentioned anything about gaining entrance. Nothing is stopping me from leaving you here while I return to my dormitory."

He didn't even pretend to look even remotely afraid of her threat.

"Fine," she huffed. "Let's go then."

She'd never tell him that secretly, she'd wondered what it'd feel like to be with him out in the open. She'd imagined the response to be overwhelmingly negative and life altering but all the odd couple received were a few blank stares and hushed whispers until the conversation deferred back to the original topic.

She caught Harry's look of dislike thrown at Malfoy and Ron's glaring eyes, mentally accusing her of something along the lines of 'fraternizing with the enemy'.

They reached the doors and Malfoy offered her his arm.

She hesitated, knowing full well that she'd reached a line that if she crossed, she'd never be able to return from.

A deep breath was taken. And then he smirked again. "I won't bite."

A glint in his eye followed and a small twitch in the corner of his mouth.

"Not if you don't want me to."

She took his arm and felt strangely normalised.

Neville passed her, leading Ginny into the hall who blushed furiously when Hermione sought eye contact.

"Even Longbottom found a partner. Trolls do fly."

He pulled Hermione into the hall and, just as she was about to inform him that the chances of Neville securing a partner were not as slim as he'd thought, her opinion caught in her throat as all eyes turned to them.

Malfoy pulled on her arm. "Move it, Hermione."

The command wasn't vicious and, as she looked over at him, she noticed a small tint of pink, lightly dusting his cheeks.

Just one foot in front of the other, she told herself. There we go. Now left. Right. Left...

Sighing in relief, they reached the crowd. There were more gasps and whispers but Malfoy had cleverly manoeuvred them to a part of the hall that hadn't been filled with Slytherin's yet.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on or will I have to hex you?" Hermione whispered to Draco as he shot warning glances around the hall at anyone who was staring.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he told her, stiffly.

"I think you know exactly what I'm talking about." She would have crossed her arms if one wasn't still in his arm. She rolled her eyes at him when his face remained expressionless. Harry and the rest of the Triwizard champion's entered the hall, followed by loud bursts of cheers and thunderous applause.

"Bloody Scarhead looks like a puffed up bullfrog." Malfoy spat.

"Harry does not. I think he looks quite dashing." She said quietly.

He doesn't respond and instead, she gently removed her arm from the crook of his.

"So tell me already, what's the ploy?"

"Ploy?" He didn't make any eye contact. "There is no ploy."

"Then you seriously cannot expect me to believe that you actually like me."

"Is that hard to believe?"

"Very."

"Let me ask you this; do you believe people can change?"

A flash of red reminded her of Ron and she tried not to look around for him.

"I do," she replied. "I'm just not entirely sure about you."

He was quiet, watching the couples dancing, and she continued. "So after four years of name calling, you suddenly ask me to the ball? Come on, Malfoy, even you should be able to see the hypocrisy."

"Surely you understand atonement?"

"I understand it. But that doesn't mean I believe that you seek it."

"Perhaps I only seek the benefit of your doubt?"

She clapped along with everyone else as Dumbledore began to dance with McGonagall. Student took this as a sign and began to file out onto the dance floor with their partners, locking into an embrace for the dance. She lost sight of Harry for a moment and noticed that Ron had seated himself down, Padma looking on unhappily next to him.

"Come on," Malfoy grasped her hand. He pulled her shocked body out onto the dance floor and her eyes grew wider as he placed one of her hands on his shoulder and he gently gripped her hip.

Pulling her around the hall, she tried to concentrate on moving and dancing rather than the feel of his shoulder underneath her palm or the feel of his hand on her waist.

"For someone who hates Muggleborn's, you're sure doing a terrible job of hiding that fact."

"And for someone who claims to be the smartest witch of all of Hogwarts, you're sure quite terrible at noticing facts that are staring you in the face."

She frowned. "And what might these facts be?"

He smirked, raised an eyebrow, pulled her behind a large, green, leafy plant, pushed her against the wall and brought her lips to his.

Brown eyes flashed open and met a pair of closed eyes.

Both were frozen for a moment until Hermione gently reached up, placed a hand close to his thudding heart and pushed.

"What are you doing?" Her voice was gentle and he was shocked.

Her hand was still on his chest and he placed a hand over hers.

"Do you feel that? That's what you're doing to me."

Her heart hitched in her throat. "What?"

"Hermione," he breathed. "Hermione..."

* * *

"Hermione!" Harry called from the front yard.

"Harry?"

She dropped her book and flew to the front door. "Harry!" she flung open the door. "Have you found him yet?"

He grinned in his special Harry Potter way and she just knew it was good news.

Flinging her arms around his neck, she sighed happily into his shoulder. "Is he okay?"

He placed both hands on her shoulders and pushed her to arms length. "Hermione, he seems to have, err, forgotten."

She frowned. "Forgotten?"

"The Healers think it's just temporary. We found him in the middle of a forest in Romania."

"Romania?"

"He was in pretty bad shape. Had some broken bones and bruises. Almost ate Ron when he bought him some food." Harry gulped. "You'd better come and see."

* * *

She pressed her hand to her mouth, trying to suppress the sigh of horror. His blond hair was a shade of brown, plastered to his head with dirt, grime and sweat. His skin sunk into his bones and it was as if he'd just been replaced by a skeleton.

"What happened to him?"

No-one answered.

"Maybe we should leave you alone with him for a bit?" Harry suggested and everyone shuffled out of the room with him.

"Draco," she whispered softly and reached his bedside.

He didn't register, but of course he didn't –he was asleep.

She dug into her pockets and drew out a few crumpled, yellow Post-It notes. Gently, she pried open one of his dirt encrusted hands and placed her notes in it.

"Do you remember them?"

His fingers didn't even twitch.

"I kept them. I kept then even though you told me to forget you." She was still scared of raising her voice above a whisper. "I cried for weeks after you left. And then I heard you disappeared and I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep, I couldn't breathe."

She reached for his other hand and held it over her rapidly beating heart. "Do you feel that? That's what you do." She let a small tear slide down her cheek and her eyelids dropped shut.

Unbeknownst to her, Draco's eyelids fluttered and another heart started beating in time to hers.

But of course he remembered.

* * *

_Thanks for reading! I don't usually write stuff this long so I'm feeling pretty good on the inside._

_Hope you review and tell me what you think. Hope I win? =D_

_Love Starky._


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